This invention relates generally to a cooking device and more particularly to a pressure fryer of the type having a pressure-tight cooking vessel which is adapted to hold a bath of cooking oil and a food product such as chicken. The vessel of such a fryer may be heated either electrically or by a gas burner and is equipped with a removable cover which is adapted to be sealed to the vessel to establish a pressure-tight condition therein.
The fryer is operated by placing a quantity of cooking oil in the vessel, by activating the heater to raise the temperature of the oil, by placing the food product in the vessel and by then sealing the vessel with the cover. Pressure is generated in the vessel as the moisture in the product reaches the boiling point and vaporizes into steam. The pressure which is generated reduces the cooking time and also raises the boiling point of the juices in the product so that flavor is sealed in and less shrinkage occurs.
Pressure fryers of this general type are disclosed in Luebke et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,296,310 and 4,347,833. In abnormal situations, the oil in the vessel of such a fryer may become so hot that a fire starts in the vessel when the cover is unsealed. Present arrangements for extinguishing the fire include hand-held fire extinguishers or overhead fire extinguishing nozzles. Neither arrangement is very effective if the cover is in a closed but unsealed position on the vessel since the closed cover prevents the fire suppressant from reaching the fire in the vessel.